Human Remains Discovery Renews Interest In Danielle Bell Case
October 13, 2012
The discover Thursday of human remains in a wooded area in Cantonment ignited renewed interest in the case of Danielle Bell, a Tate High student missing for 11 years.
Escambia County Sheriff’s investigators and the medical examiner are still working to identify the remains located by land surveyors off Well Line Road…not far from where Bell was last seen in 2001, but they say they are not Bell.
“Investigators are fairly confident that the remains found are not those of missing Danielle Bell,” Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
“We were first hoping that it might be her when we found out the remains had been found,” Bonnie Bell, older sister of Danielle Bell, said early Friday evening. “We are hoping for closure. We gave up hope a long time ago that she would be found alive.”
The Bell family is working hard to take advantage of the sudden renewed interest in Danielle’s case. They will canvas the Well Line Road area Saturday, putting up and passing out new missing persons fliers featuring Danielle’s information.
“We are taking this opportunity to let everyone know that we still care, and we are putting the pressure on the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to keep working on the case,” Bonnie Bell said. “I want to find out where is my sister’s body.”
Danielle Arion Bell, 14, was last seen at a party in September 2001 in the 500 block of Cedar Tree Lane, between Highway 29 and Highway 95A in Cantonment.
Witnesses told authorities that Bell left a party with a man that was in his mid-twenties at the time. Escambia County deputies later questioned that man and searched his home, but he was never charged in connection with the case.
During the summer of 2007, Alfredo Gomez Sanchez, Jr. was charged with providing law enforcement with false information about his whereabouts at the time Bell disappeared. He was not implicated in her disappearance.
In October 2010, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit served a search warrant at the home. As part of that search warrant, a septic tank behind the residence was pumped out, and dogs from Escambia County Search and Rescue were also used to search the area. Investigators said nothing was found, and they would not say what new information might have led to the search.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Danielle has a scar on her right forearm and blue eyes. She had brown hair at the time of her disappearance. She would now be 24 years old. Danielle, whose nickname was “Dani”, was a member of the Tate Aggies cheerleading squad. The popular teen enjoyed dancing and drawing.
Anyone with information about Bell is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (850) 436-9580 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured top: Human remans were discovered Thursday in this wooded area off Well Line Road in Cantonment. (Courtesy Amber Southard, WEAR). Pictured below: Investigators pumped and searched a septic tank at this home on Cedar Tree Lane in Cantonment in October 2010 in the case of missing teen Danielle Arion Bell. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Concrete-Encased Body Positively Identified As Former PNJ Reporter
October 13, 2012
The body found encased in concrete in Georgia has been positively identified as a former Pensacola News Journal reporter.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Friday the body found Monday in Winder, GA, was that of 30-year old Sean Dugas of Pensacola. The GBI said Dugas died about a month ago from blunt force trauma to the head.
Dugas had not been heard from since August 27 when he talked to a friend by phone.
While investigating the missing person case, the Pensacola Police Department developed leads which led to them to contact police in Winder, Ga., on Monday. Police in Winder then discovered the body encased in concrete and buried in a backyard of a Winder home.
Twins from Pensacola, Christopher and William Cormier, 31, have both been charged by Georgia authorities. An investigation is continuing to determine exactly where Dugas died.
On August 27, Dugas and a female friend planned to go lunch , but when she arrived at his house to pick him up, he wasn’t home, said Capt. David Alexander of the Pensacola Police Department. A man who lived at the house told the woman Dugas was scheduled to return at 3 p.m. Alexander said the woman left a note on Dugas’ door asking him to contact her, but he did not.
Alexander said the female friend continued trying unsuccessfully to contact Dugas over the next few days. When she returned to the house September 7 to check on him, the house was empty except for a television. Alexander said the woman asked neighbors if they knew what had happened to him and they said a U-haul truck was there on September 3 and they saw at least one man removing items from the house.
Alexander said neighbors asked him about Dugas, and the man said he’d been beaten and was going to live with him.
Meanwhile, the female friend continued trying to reach Dugas, and when she could not, she contacted police on September 13. Alexander said Dugas’ name was then entered into the National Crime Information Center’s computer database as a missing/endangered person.
Dugas was employed by the Pensacola News Journal from 2005 to 2010.
From The Coast To Byrneville: 1,300 Volunteer For Day Of Caring
October 13, 2012
Over 1,300 volunteers fanned out across Escambia County Friday to help with over 100 projects at 60 agencies and schools as part of the United Way’s 20th Annual Day of Caring.
“Day of Caring not only gave us the opportunity to give back to the community, it was a great team-building experience for us,” said Jon Neely of Buffalo Rock. His team helped clear the debris from YMCA of Northwest Florida’s fence line. “We don’t get face-to-face time with each other every day at work. By volunteering as a group, we were able to get to know each other better.”
At Byrneville Elementary School, volunteers from Pall Corporation volunteered to clean up the school grounds.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“We really appreciate all that they did for us at Byrneville,” Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan said.
“We are blown away by the generosity and dedication of these volunteers,” said Andrea Krieger, President/CEO of United Way of Escambia County. “Their willingness to step away from their jobs for a day and invest time and resources through volunteerism will have an invaluable impact on our community.”
During a morning kickoff celebration, United Way also announced the kick-off of the 2012-2013 annual fundraising campaign. Last year, more than 10,000 caring individuals contributed to a successful campaign that raised support for over 140 agencies. These agencies received direct designations of $351,750 and another $1.1 million was awarded from the community chest to 45 programs at 34 agencies.
Pictured: United Way Day of Caring volunteers from Pall Corporation hard at work Friday at Byrneville Elementary School. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Hundreds Attend Molino Park Fall Carnival
October 13, 2012
Hundreds attended the annual Molino Park Elementary School Fall Carnival Friday evening at the school. The event featured games, food, entertainment and lots of great family fun.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Homecoming Win: ECHS Beats Monroe County
October 13, 2012
The Escambia County Blue Devils defeated Monroe County 36-18 Friday night in Atmore.
Coming up Monday morning on NorthEscambia.com, we will have a photo gallery from the Escambia County High School homecoming court, plus Friday afternoon’s parade.
Pictured: The Escambia County Blue Devils beat Monroe County Friday night in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos by Marcella Wilson, click to enlarge.
Navy Celebrates 237th Birthday Aboard Pensacola NAS With Bell Ringing
October 13, 2012
To honor the U.S. Navy’s 237th birthday, a global commemoration ceremony was held Friday with a Navy-wide bell ringing ceremony at 9 a.m., including a ceremony at Pensacola NAS.
The tradition of bell ringing to mark time in the Navy dates before the advent of the chronometer, when time at sea was measured by the trickle of sand through a half-hour glass.
One of the ship’s boys had the duty of watching the glass and turning it when the sand had run out. He struck the bell as a signal that he had performed this vital function. From this ringing of the bell evolved the tradition of striking the bell once at the end of the first half hour of a four hour watch, twice after the first hour, etc., until eight bells marked the end of the four hour watch. The process was repeated for the succeeding watches.
This age-old practice of sounding the bell on the hour and half hour has its place in the nuclear and missile oriented United States Navy at the dawn of the 21st century, regulating daily routine, just as it did on historic vessels under sail in the late 18th century.
Friday’s ceremony at Pensacola NAS consisted of the ringing of eight bells signifying the end of the 237th watch and one bell to signify the start of the watch of the 238th year.
Pictured: Sailors and guests listen as Commanding Officer Capt. Chris Plummer explains the ringing of the bells Friday at Pensacola NAS to signify the end of the 237th year of the Navy and the beginning of the 238th. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Woman Injured In Barrineau Park Road Crash
October 12, 2012
One person was injured in a single vehicle wreck on Barrineau Park Road Friday morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 59-year old Enola Money of Molino was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by ambulance following the 9:45 a.m. crash just east of Jacks Branch Road.
Money apparently lost control and ran into a ditch, with her 2007 GMC Envoy coming to rest on its side. She was trapped inside the vehicle for a brief period as first responders used the Jaws of Life to free her.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Escambia County EMS and the Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Human Remains Discovered In Cantonment Woods
October 12, 2012
An investigation is underway after human remains were discovered in a wooded area in Cantonment Thursday afternoon.
The remains were discovered about 4 p.m. in a wooded area off Well Line Road and Santa Rosa Road by a person that was clearing land.
“It appears that the remains have been there for some time,” Rawson said Thursday evening as the investigators remained on the scene, an area they were reaching with four-wheelers. “It’s too early to tell if the remains or male or female, or exactly how long they have been there.”
The remains will be turned over to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy and identification.
Library War Continues Between ‘Dysfunctional’ City And ‘Extortionist’ County
October 12, 2012
“Dysfunctional”, “horse crap” and “extortionist” — the war of words between Escambia County and the City of Pensacola over library funding escalated Thursday, with members of the Escambia County Commission firing the latest verbal salvos over not just the library but also public transit.
The county commission cut their contribution to the library by 5-percent with the new budget year that began October 1, and the West Florida Library System responded by cutting hours at at all branches but most drastically at the Century and soon to be open Molino Branch. Just over two-thirds of the library system’s budget is from the county, while the city funds less than a third under an interlocal agreement.
In a letter last week to the city, County Administrator Randy Oliver said the county will withhold a portion of their funding for the library system in order to hire the city’s library employees to fully staff libraries in the county, reducing the appropriation by the amount necessary to provided staffing to all library branches in the unincorporated areas at the same level as the branch in the city with the greatest operating hours.
After NorthEscambia.com published Oliver’s plan on Monday, City Administrator Bill Reynolds responded to Oliver Tuesday with a letter defending the reduced hours and claiming the county has actually failed to pay $1,229,663 for library services since 2008.
Reynolds said that Oliver’s plan to adjust library funding to maintain service hours at the rural branches “can only be taken as contemplation by the County to somehow further disrupt the system”. And he called the county’s threatened cutbacks “extortion”.
Thursday morning, commissioner fired back during a Committee of the Whole meeting.
“I call horse crap on that,” Escambia County Commissioner White said Thursday morning. White represents District 5, home of the Century and Molino Branch libraries. “They are the extortionists.”
Commissioner Grover Robinson suggested that the city and county sit down to discuss the library and funding. But White said that would be a “waste of time” because “they’re so dysfunctional”.
The county has been “villainized” by the city, Commissioner Wilson Robertson said, mentioning how the city quit funding mass transit and leaving the county to foot the entire bill for ECAT, including routes in the city. He suggested that county add up the mass transit money not paid by the city, about $6.5 million, subtract $1.2 million for library funding and bill the city for the difference. If not, he suggested that the county limit mass transit service inside the city.
“It we are going to be accused of extortion, let’s get this right,” Robertson said.
Commissioner Gene Valentino suggested that the county could “seize control” of the library system since the commission represents the entire county, including Pensacola residents.
Robinson asked County Attorney Alison Rogers to draft a motion to be considered by the commission on October 18 that would get the county out of their interlocal library agreement with the city.
Prep Football Finals
October 12, 2012
Here are final football scores from around the area Friday night
Florida
Pensacola 32, Tate 14
Jay 36, Cottondale 20
Pine Forest 63, Washington 0
Escambia 29, Pace 28
Gulf Breeze 23, Milton 20
Catholic 26, Walton 0
Open: West Florida, Northview
Alabama
Southern Choctaw 26, Flomaton 21
Escambia County 36, Monroe County 18
Clarke Prep, 27, Escambia Academy 26
T.R. Miller 48, Southside 18
W.S. Neal 44, Bayside 42
Pictured above and below: The Jay Royals picked up a homecoming win against Cottondale Friday night. Photos by Michelle Gibbs for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
